A Curious Mind’s Take on Breathing Well

Lessons from Restoring Prāṇa by Robin L. Rothenberg, blended with personal experience in practicing and teaching prāṇāyāma.

Breathing is something we all do, constantly and unconsciously. But what happens when we pay attention to it? This blog explores the complexity of breath, drawing from both science and yogic wisdom, and makes a gentle case for breathing less, slower, and with more awareness.

If you’ve ever wondered why your breath feels off, or how it can affect your energy, mood, or sleep—read on.

Why does my pin code affect my breath?

I’ve spent most of my life in cities—growing up in one, living in one now, and knowing the rhythm of urban life like second nature. But I’ve also lived in small towns, wandered through villages, trekked in the mountains, and explored jungles. And if there’s one thing I’ve noticed across these vastly different landscapes, it’s the air. The reflex to take deeper breaths was involuntary in the villages, smaller towns and remote areas. I noticed that while walking in the city my breaths were shallow, and I was hesitant to take a deep breath. While living in a city has its perks— freedom of work, job security and the ability to connect with people who are vastly different than you are—an unmissable characteristic of city life is the unforgiving speed at which life happens. And now, with more and more green spaces being replaced by concrete to fulfill growing aspirations of millions, something vital is being squeezed out—our ability to breathe well.

Why is this important?

Is breath not an involuntary process that doesn't require attention?

What really happens when we take chronically short breaths all day long?

These were some of the questions I asked myself when I was reading more about the importance of breathing well, as an exercise for myself and as a means to find practices that can be adapted to those who live in cities. An overarching observation in most texts—both technical and yoga texts on pranayama and breath—emphasize the importance of breathing well, through your nose and regulating how much you breathe in general through the day. Most articles I've read describe how we take 20,000 breaths a day, almost all describe how breathing is involuntary and can be made voluntary through focused practices. Most breath related classes focus on the movement of air in our nostrils and the visible, reciprocal movement in our ribs, belly and sometimes even pelvic floor in response to the breath. This is great to understand how to regulate breathing and these practices are important to experiencing relaxation, activation or a state of focus—depending on what you want to achieve from your breath practice. What underlies these practices is often shared less, but it is what I find most interesting. The intricacy of this complex process automatically induces a sense of importance to why we must all be breathing well.

Why we breathe?

We breathe to maintain biomechanical and biochemical harmony. To manage the pressure gradient—air moves from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area. During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and the thoracic cavity (ribs) expands, reducing pressure in the lungs. Because air pressure outside the body is higher, air flows in to equalize the pressure. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, pressure in the lungs increases, and air flows out to the lower-pressure external environment.

Movement of the Diaphragm at different phases of the breath cycle. Image Source: Why is diaphragmatic breathing important? - Stay Tuned Sports Medicine

But this is only one part of the process of breathing. The chemical process involves an intricate balance of gases—Oxygen, Nitric Oxide and Carbon-di-oxide. The primary purpose of breathing is to maintain an optimal ratio of oxygen (O₂) to carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the body. Nitric Oxide is produced in the nasal passages and in the inner lining of blood vessels. It plays an important role in breathing by improving blood flow to the lungs and tissues; by dilating the blood vessels it helps to relax smooth muscle and improve oxygen uptake in the blood rich areas of the lungs. Respiration is ultimately about oxygen delivery and utilization at the cellular level, which depends on CO₂ levels and nitric oxide, not just air movement.

Why breathing deep isn't enough to oxygenate our cells?

More often than not we are told to take a deep breath to feel more oxygenated, this deep breathing pattern is reinforced in most breath-based movement practices. The visual of the ribs expanding will make anyone feel like they're oxygenating all parts of their body. But gulping air in through the mouth or taking in big audible breaths through the nose doesn't do what we think it does. Over breathing (even if it is calm and slow) can reduce Carbon dioxide levels, constricts our blood vessels and starve our tissues of oxygen. An easier and more accessible way of oxygenating our cells is by breathing lightly through the nose, focusing on the movement in the diaphragm and taking comfortable pauses between our breaths.

How I applied this to my practice and teaching.

While teaching for 5-7 hours a day doesn't allow much scope for 'close mouthed' nasal breathing, I consciously adapted this technique to my cueing. By adding pauses between sentences, taking breaths in through my nose, and making sure to keep the breaths light and engaging my diaphragm, I noticed a change in my energy while teaching and after class. I also adapted it to my running program; with my return to running, the most challenging bit was breathing through my nose and regulating my breath. For this I began with a nose to mouth breath, taking in two counts of breaths through the nose and one long exhale through the mouth. As my conditioning got better for the runs, I swapped the exhale through the mouth for an exhale through the nose. Some changes were dramatic—my sleep quality improved significantly, I was less tired between classes, and I was a lot more focused while working. Other changes I noticed were improved digestion and reduced PMS symptoms (reduced lower back pain and emotional regulation).

Is breath holding good or bad?

Intentional breath holding 'Kumbhaka' is an important practice in Pranayama, it follows a regular practice of alternate nostril breathing in different ratios called Nadi Shodhana. In this practice we begin with a breath in through the left nostril and alternate the exhale to the right nostril, we take another breath in through the right nostril and alternate the exhale back to the left nostril.

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, Kumbhaka is included after the exhale or in between breaths.

This practice is a keystone in most yoga and pranayama classes because of its wide-ranging positive impacts on well-being and functional breath repatterning. Breath retention is the next step to transition the practice from intermediate to advanced level. Breath retention has been used widely to improve focus, induce a feeling of stillness in preparation for meditation practices, train the body and mind to stay calm in stressful situations and alter dysfunctional breathing habits.

The flip side of this is an unintentional or reactive breath holding pattern. In the city we are exposed to stressors on a daily basis —angry bosses, pedestrians lurching off the sidewalk onto vehicular traffic without a care in the world, motorbikes racing onto pedestrian walkways to get ahead, loud sounds, visuals of violence, the onslaught of news. And in situations like these when we cannot mobilize ourselves to move out of danger, the body adapts to these challenges by changing our pattern of breathing to match the intensity of the situation. Put simply, our autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for brain to body and body to brain messaging. The autonomic nervous system is a part of our primitive brain that is responsible for acting appropriately in any circumstance— rest when safe, fight when challenged, flee when unmanageable and fawn when out of options. Our nervous system is enmeshed in our emotional states, it is also a driver to of motivation, forcing us to survive by finding jobs, community, food and mate. Which means that breathing, digestion, elimination, arousal to name a few are all functionally associated to our nervous system states. In the event of a recurring stressful circumstance one of the body's responses is to stop breathing for periods of time or resort to unbalanced breathing patterns—fast, shallow or irregular.

When practicing a breath hold, if done forcefully beyond a comfortable tolerance, it can cause distress, dizziness, or even panic. It can increase sympathetic activation (fight or flight response) instead of calming the system—gasping loudly after completing a set of breath holds is one indication that the practitioner has pushed beyond their tolerance.

Steps to practice the Comfortable Pause

A healthy progression to breath holding after a few sessions of breathing light or alternate nostril breathing should begin with understanding what your 'Comfortable Pause' is. As illustrated in the book, the comfortable pause is a brief, effortless suspension of breath at the end of a normal exhalation, done in a relaxed state—not a forced hold. It is not about how long you can hold your breath, it's about becoming comfortable with stillness in the breath, allowing CO₂ to rise slightly within a safe and healthy range. It is used as a training tool to improve your CO₂ tolerance, which in turn enhances oxygen delivery and nervous system regulation.

How does the brain and body respond to breath holding?

The urge to breathe comes primarily from rising CO₂ levels, not from the lack of oxygen. This means that CO₂ is the main trigger for respiration. We feel the need to breathe not because we're oxygen-deprived, but because rising CO₂ levels tell the brain that the system needs rebalancing. The chemoreceptors in the brainstem, especially in the medulla oblongata, are sensitive to CO₂ levels and blood pH. When CO₂ rises, it slightly acidifies the blood (decreasing the pH), which sends a strong signal to breathe in order to exhale the excess CO₂ and restore balance.

The body maintains oxygen saturation even during periods of low breathing or breath-holding, so oxygen rarely drops low enough to signal urgency—unless in extreme conditions (like at high altitude or severe illness).

Why should we breathe well?

As previously established breathing well isn’t just about relaxation—it’s a key part of how the body maintains internal balance. Light, efficient breathing helps regulate blood pH by maintaining healthy levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂). When we over-breathe—whether from stress or habit—we expel too much CO₂. This shifts the body toward alkalinity, disrupting the delicate pH balance and impairing how oxygen is delivered to our cells. On the other hand, balanced, functional breathing supports homeostasis across all major systems—nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, hormonal, and more.

That’s why breath practices are often recommended for issues like:

• Anxiety

• Sleep apnea

• GERD

• Sleep disturbances

• Chronic inflammation

• Certain postural and mobility challenges

Breathing is directly linked to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Slow, regulated breathing—especially with elongated exhales—stimulates the parasympathetic branch (autonomic nervous system), calming the body, easing the mind, and improving emotional regulation.

Beyond the physiological benefits, just one round of conscious breathing can shift your mood, focus, and energy. It’s immediate, accessible, and powerfully grounding.

Try This Now

Sit back. Support your head, spine, and pelvis. Relax your shoulders and jaw.

Close your eyes and gently notice your breath. Let it move through your nose. Observe your ribs and belly. Don’t change anything—just notice. Let it soften.

Even one moment of conscious, slow breath is a return to balance.

References:

1. Rothenberg, R. L. (2019). Restoring Prana: A Therapeutic Guide to Pranayama and Healing Through the Breath for Yoga Therapists, Yoga Teachers, and Healthcare Practitioners. Singing Dragon.

2. McKeown, P. (2015). The oxygen advantage: Simple, scientifically proven breathing techniques. William Morrow Paperbacks.

3. Hopkins, E., Sanvictores, T., & Sharma, S. (2018). Physiology, acid base balance, StatPearls Publishing, Treasure Island (FL).